


Surrogate

by walviemort



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mpreg, Surrogacy, rapid pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 10:58:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14616978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/walviemort/pseuds/walviemort
Summary: Belle needs to keep her son safe from her husband. So Killian volunteers to carry the baby and keep him hidden...but that gets thrown awry when the Evil Queen speeds up the pregnancy. How do they keep the little one safe? (canon-parallel from the end of 6x08 through 6x09)





	Surrogate

“Belle? You home, love?” Killian called out upon entering Emma’s—no,  _ their _ —house. After their encounters with mirrors and dragons and evil queens, Killian had gone ahead home to prepare dinner while Emma and Regina saw Henry off to a belated dance with Violet. Truthfully, his head was pounding a bit from his earlier flight and subsequent crash into a rock, but he also wanted to check in with Belle. 

She’d taken up residence in a spare bedroom at their house ever since the ship debacle a few weeks ago, and Emma had made sure to put up some spells to repel the Dark One. But that didn’t mean Belle couldn’t leave, and he knew she’d been trying to find a way to ensure that her estranged husband couldn’t use the shears of fate on their unborn son.

“In here,” she answered, her voice echoing from the kitchen and sounding rather defeated. He strode into the room to find her hunched over a book at the dining table, with another stack next to her.

“I take it today didn’t go as planned,” he said softly, settling in the chair next to her.

“That’s putting it nicely,” she scoffed, sitting up and stretching her arms and back before holding her right arm out toward Killian and gesturing to a gold cuff around her wrist. “He’s tracking me now. We managed to get the Apprentice’s wand, and Zelena was going to send me to the Enchanted Forest, but he found us before she could.”

“And you weren’t even going to say goodbye?” Killian quipped in an attempt to lighten the mood, earning a tiny smile from Belle. He wanted to say that the Crocodile’s actions surprised him, but given everything he knew about the man, he wasn’t sure if anything could anymore. “So what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know yet,” she replied. “I’m trying to find any solution in these that can help—some way to stall a pregnancy, or keep the father away; anything, really, but all I keep finding are dead ends or long shots.” She leaned back in her chair with a huff and placed her hand over the small bump under her dress, and stared over at the icebox, where the sonogram image hung in prominence.

“Well, a long shot is still a shot,” he offered optimistically; apparently, Snow White was rubbing off on him. “What have you got?”

“All I’ve found are ways to move a pregnancy, but the downside to that is they can only be moved once. And I can’t think of any girls I know who would be willing candidates for that.”

“I think there are far more ladies in this town who would be willing to do so than you expect; you have more friends than you know, Belle.” But his thoughts wandered down a different path as well—an unusual one, certainly, but if there was one thing he’d learned as a captain, it was to take the unexpected route. “But...does it have to be a woman?”

“Who else could it be?” She cocked her head in confusion.

“Well…,” he started, and then swallowed; the idea sounded far less strange in his head, but he was suddenly nervous putting it into speech. “Me.”

Belle’s eyes grew wide. “No, Killian; no way. I won’t ask that of you. Not after everything you’ve already done for me, and not after everything between you and Rumple.”

“Which is why he would never expect to look here.” It was truly an insane idea, but they were dealing with a mad man. “Is it possible?”

“Um…” She glanced back at the open book in front of her, then flipped the page and scanned it with her eyes. “Yeah, it is. It actually says it’s safer for the baby that way.”

“Then there we have it.” He could tell she wasn’t sold on the idea; honestly, he was still selling himself on it, but it seemed the only logical way to keep the child safe, and he already had ideas on what to do once it arrived. In the meantime, the Crocodile would hardly noticed if Killian lay low for a while. “Once Emma gets back, we’ll ask her to perform the spell.” And honestly, something like this would give Killian a much-needed distraction from the dark fate looming over Emma’s head. The fact that he’d nearly lost her today had him shaken, so perhaps he was looking for something—anything—to cling to.

“Killian, are you sure?” She placed her hand over his where it rest on the table.

He swallowed again. “Not completely, if I’m being honest. But I do know that I’d do whatever it took to protect you and the babe from whatever his dark plans might be.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and then got up to make them both tea.

Emma arrived home a bit later and understandably had a mixed reaction to the plan.

“Is that even possible? Where will it go? Killian, are you sure? Pregnancy kind of sucks. Wait—how does it come out?”

He assured her of everything, that he was fully willing to take all that on. She still pulled him to the side.

“Killian, are you just doing this because...because I might leave?”

He stared at the floor; he couldn’t lie to her. “Truthfully, that’s a part of it, Emma. I can’t imagine a life without you, but perhaps if I have further purpose, it’ll keep me going.”

“Hey,” she blurted out fiercely, making him look up at her immediately. “You have Henry; you have Belle; you have my parents—all of them are here for you and all of them need you, too. My absence would not change that.” She took a breath. “But if you’re sure about doing this to help Belle, then okay.”

He smiled back, a bit relieved that she was on board with the plan. “Okay.”

“But promise me this: when you’re craving ice cream at 2 am and I’m the one to go get it, you’re sharing.”

He broke into a grin, albeit a bittersweet one—he truly hoped this was not their only brush with childbearing; that they might yet get the chance to do this the proper way someday. “I think I can agree to that.”

She placed a peck on his cheek and then went back into the kitchen with Belle to inspect the spell. Emma read the directions, and directed them to stand side by side, holding hands. “Okay, this is probably gonna feel weird, but here we go.”

She held her hands up, palms facing them, and they began to glow with her magic. Seconds later, Killian and Belle also took on a faint glow themselves, and his body began to tingle. He squeezed Belle’s hand in encouragement.

Suddenly, a brighter light emanated from Belle’s core and seemed to travel up her body and through her arm to where their hands were connected. “Don’t let go,” Emma commanded, and the light continued up Killian’s arm, settling in his stomach.

The next moment, a slight jolt of pain hit him where the light had stopped, and he hunched over a bit, wrapping his hooked arm around himself; Belle seemed to be doing the same next to him. It wasn’t exceedingly painful, but it cramped as though his insides were being rearranged—which, he supposed, they were.

The discomfort lasted mere seconds, and then it was gone, as if it had never been there before. He definitely felt different, though. He glanced down at his stomach, and noticed that his waistcoat felt tighter than it had minutes ago. A glance over at Belle showed that she was feeling her own stomach for evidence of a change. 

He let go of her hand to unbutton his vest, and once it was undone, he sighed; it felt so much better. And sure enough, when he traced his abdomen with his fingers, there was a slight curve there that hadn’t been before.

“It worked,” Belle murmured, and he was suddenly aware that the ladies were staring at his stomach as well.  Belle stepped closer and reached out, but hesitated. “Can I…” she started, but stopped; perhaps they hadn’t considered how awkward this situation might be. 

But Killian didn’t really care, and he knew Emma wouldn’t either. “He’s your babe; of course, love.” She smiled and came over, lightly placing her hand on his new bump. 

“Killian is going to keep you safe, son,” she knelt to whisper to where he child now grew. “I can’t wait to see you.”

Conveniently, Belle had a doctor’s appointment the next day; Killian accompanied her and it was confirmed—he was carrying her baby. 

That night, as he lay in bed with Emma, he noticed that her hand drifted down to his now-rounded, bare stomach. 

“Are you still sure you’re fine with this, love?” He had spent the last 24 hours worrying that Emma might be jealous of the situation, or fear she was missing out on something, but she just gave him a warm grin.

“Of course. Killian, I’m so proud of you for being willing to do this. Your big heart is just one of the many reasons I love you.”

He pulled her closer to him and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I love you, too. Now, what do you say to some iced cream?”

* * *

The plan was for Killian to hide his growing belly as long as possible, shirking his form-fitting clothing for looser tops and pants, and staying home as much as possible once the bump became impossible to disguise. 

And it went well, at first; no one noticed the change the next couple weeks, though Granny did seem aware of the fact that Belle’s cravings had suddenly become Killian’s. (As good as she was at gossip, she was equally skilled in discretion, and never told a soul.) He’d taken to wearing his sleep shirts during the day, but much like the rest of his wardrobe, they were in dark colors so no one seemed to notice.

Over the course of three weeks, though, the babe seemed to hit a growth spurt and his belly quickly filled out those tops, as well as his jeans. Emma magically altered his pants to grow with him, but she resorted to “borrowing” some tops from her father.

Belle was with him the day her son truly made his presence known, kicking hard at the outside world. Killian nearly panicked at first, dropping the stack of books he was helping reshelve at the library, but Belle was quick to calm him when she felt it, even if she looked a bit wistful.

“What does it feel like?” she asked, enamored with the feel of her son pressing against her palm.

“Like he’s trying to kick his way out,” Killian groaned, massaging a different point on his belly that was sore now.

It was an odd thought, realizing that there was a whole other person within him, though he was sure he was far from the first person to have that realization—the list of men who had, however, was probably short. But as the child nudged and grew within him, he couldn’t help but be fascinated by the whole thing, and glad that he had the chance to help his best friend.

* * *

All seemed to be going fine, until the day a nun showed up at the convent looking 50 years older than she had the day before.

“I used magic like that when I was the Dark One to speed up Zelena's pregnancy,” Emma revealed. Immediately, Belle and Killian exchanged a panicked look, and his hand went to rest protectively on the bump—something he noticed he’d been doing instinctively, and was going to have to try to school himself against doing in public.

“This is about me! Rumple wants to do the same thing so that he can use the Shears of Destiny to cut our son's ties to his fate. And then, when that happens, he can take him from us, he can corrupt him, or even worse.”

Killian grabbed Belle’s hand. “We won’t let that happen; I assure you. We’ll find a way to stop him.”

Belle and Emma headed to the library to research a way to prevent whatever the Dark One had planned, and Killian eventually met them there, after stopping by the docks to ensure his contingency plan for the child was still in place.

The discovery of squid ink in the library was definitely a tool to help them, but still required some risks in actually dosing the Crocodile with it.

“I can do it,” Belle offered. “He's doing all of this because he thinks it'll force me back to him, and if that's what he wants, then that's what I'm gonna make him think I'm doing.”

A chill ran down Killian’s spine at that, and the child seemed to kick in protest of the idea; as usual, Emma was on the same page. “Sorry, Belle, but no,” she protested.    
It just gives Gold an opportunity to use his magic on you, and who knows what would happen to you given that you’re not actually pregnant.” 

“She's right, love. Your dream got us this far. You just have to leave the rest to us,” Killian added.

“Just...be careful,” Belle concluded, glancing at where her son was growing.

Killian knew poking the Crocodile had its risks, and he honestly wasn’t surprised when the man attempted to choke him magically. He braced himself for an impact that never came; when Gold tried it, he was immediately blasted back by a pulse of magic that came from within Killian.

“Impossible,” the man stammered as he attempted to rise to his feet, but Emma got there before he could, dousing him with the powdered squid ink. Quickly, Killian and Emma searched his person for either the shears or the dagger, but came up empty on both.

A search of the back of the shop ended with Emma collapsing from a vision; it had been weeks since the last one, and in all the hubbub over the baby, they’d almost managed to forget about her looming fate. But this sudden, cruel reminder of what still loomed over them twisted his gut, and it wasn’t from the babe this time.

Once Emma had recuperated, they met Belle at Granny’s, who’d had her own encounter with Rumple to discuss—one that she’d thankfully come out of unscathed.

“I... I know I should be relieved…” she stammered, visibly shaken.

“Well, no one's gonna blame you for still worrying,” Emma said, comforting her, even though Killian could tell she wasn’t back to 100 percent after whatever had happened in the shop. “Gold did the right thing today. That doesn't mean he'll do the same tomorrow.”

“Emma's right,” Killian added. “And we have to make sure that he can't use that magic on the babe, and we will.” It was subtle, but he placed his hook over his belly to let Belle know that he wouldn’t let the man near them.

“Here you go,” Granny interrupted, carrying two mugs of tea and placing the first on the counter in front of Belle. “One cup of chamomile. It soothes the soul. And one cup of ginger tea,” she finished with a wink, handing it to Killian.

“Thanks, Granny,” they both said.

“Aye, love. Drink up,” he continued, holding up his mug towards her in an offer of cheers. She gave a sad smile and clinked hers against it, then took a sip. 

Before he started on his own, he need to talk to Emma about what had just happened, so he excused them from Belle’s presence and pulled his love to the side. “So, are you gonna tell me what happened back at Gold's, or do I have to guess?” he asked pointedly, then took a sip from his mug. 

Emma looked panicked for a moment, but swallowed it down and started explaining as he drank his tea. “I saw my death again.” A pit formed in his stomach. “It was the same details, the same figure. Everything was the same. Except this time, there was something new. The sword... the sword that's used to kill me, I…” His gut churned at the thought, like a knife was twisting in it as well. “It had a red jewel on the bottom of the handle, almost glowing.”

“What brought the vision on?” he enquired, and wrapped his arm around his abdomen as if guarding against the phantom pains her tale brought on.

“I don't know. Maybe just being in the shop? Maybe there was something in there.”

His stomach jolted then—but for real. A sharp pain hit him in the belly, strong enough that it made him double over and drop the teacup.

“Killian? What is it? Are you okay?” He heard Emma’s panicky voice and could feel her gripping his shoulders, but all he could do was gasp as agony ripped through his core.

“Killian, what’s wrong?” Belle’s voice added to the fray, and someone guided him to sitting. Something was wrong with the babe, he could tell, and glanced down to see if he could figure out what was happening.

At first, nothing seemed visibly amiss. But his belly hadn’t seemed that large this morning, had it? His hand hovered over the bump, but a second later, the bump was pressing against it—it was growing, and fast.

“The tea,” he gasped out. Someone had dosed the tea with the aging magic, and they could all guess who. “That bastard,” he spat out.

“No! No. No. This can't... This can't be happening! Please, no!” Belle shouted, pressing her hands against his rapidly swelling belly. He’d gone from just showing to nearing full-term in the span of a minute, the fabric of David’s shirt now stretched to its limit. His entire midsection was in torment as his body prepared for what was to come next.

An ache of different kind hit him then, this time high on his now-round belly—a contraction. “He’s coming,” Killian managed to rasp out through the pain. Not a moment later, gray smoke engulfed the three of them and they were suddenly back home, in their bedroom; he was seated on the bed, breathing heavily.

“Okay, we need to find someone to assist with the birth,” Emma said shakily, mustering all the courage she had, he could tell. 

“I’m on it,” Belle answered, just as uneasily. “Zelena will know what to do.” He couldn’t say he was thrilled by the idea, but time was of the essence.

That reminded him of the next part of his plan. “Emma,” he breathed out, just as another contraction came over him. He winced through the pain but opened his eyes to see her hovering over him. “Ask Henry to go find Nemo; to tell him it’s time.” She nodded and grabbed her phone to do so, holding his hand while he breathed deeply. 

While they waited, he paced the room with Emma’s support, but panic truly hit him when his water broke. Something told him the baby was coming, and fast.

“I’m here, I’m here,” a high-pitched voice called out as Zelena finally arrived. 

“About bloody time,” he muttered through another contraction. They were stronger and closer together now; he was in near-constant pain.

“That’s quite a look for you, Captain,” the wicked witch teased. He glared, and nearly replied with a quip of his own, until another convulsion brought him to his knees, crying out.

“Alright, let’s get this going,” Zelena commanded, apparently going into business mode. He honestly didn’t care who delivered the boy anymore, just that they did, and fast.

She began giving out directions that Emma and Belle scurried to follow, and she gently led Killian to the bed, brushing the covers aside with a wave of her hand and if he wasn’t mistaken, adding more pillows.

The rest of the world fell into a blur of pain and semi-awareness after that, but he knew that Emma was on one side, gripping his hand, and Belle was on the other, both offering encouragement. Zelena was telling him what to do, and he was doing his best to comply.

“One last push, Hook!” she called out, and he did it with a shout, finally feeling some level of relief and slumping back against the pillows.

“You did it, Killian!” Emma exclaimed, kissing his temple, and he heard the sound of a baby crying from near the end of the bed. He had just enough energy to look up and see that Belle was holding her son, tears of joy streaming down her face that he couldn’t help but echo at seeing mother and son together, finally.

Zelena finished everything up, and even gave him an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. “I know what you just went through,” she said quietly, out of earshot of Emma, who was helping Belle with the baby. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

“The Crocodile would,” he answered.

“I didn’t even know you were carrying the baby; how would he have?”

Killian nodded at the baby. “I think the boy tried to protect me when I saw Gold earlier.”

“Yeah, that would do it,” Zelena concluded. “Rest well, Captain,” she added, and then disappeared in green cloud. 

The little boy was wrapped in a blanket, and Belle couldn’t take her eyes off of him. But she finally did, to look up at Killian with a smile on her face. She walked over and carefully took a seat on the empty side of the bed next to him. “Killian, I...I can’t apologize enough for dragging you into this this way. I never thought—”

“It’s alright,” Killian interrupted, albeit weakly. “No one could have. The important thing is that he’s healthy, and he’s in your arms.”

“Do...do you want to hold him? You did do all the hard work, after all.”

He blushed. “I’d be honored.”

Gently, she shifted her hold on the sleeping lad and placed him in Killian’s waiting arms. He was absolutely precious, and Killian felt his heart grow looking down on his sweet newborn face. Even if the child wasn’t truly his, there was no question that he’d lay down his life for the tiny boy.

“I don’t know what to do now, though,” she admitted, and Killian could hear fear slip back into her voice. “With Rumple still out there…”

“About that…” he started. “I do have a way for you two to get to safety—to get out of Storybrooke—if you’re still amenable to that.”

“How?”

“Give me a bit to catch my breath and get my legs back, and I’ll show you.”

“Oh, of course! Take your time,” she effused, waving him off. “Actually, will you be okay with him for a bit? There’s something I need to do, too.”

Suddenly, Killian was panicking; he’d never been alone with a baby before. He stared down at the boy wide-eyed, then up at Belle. Carrying and birthing were one thing; caring for was another. 

“We’ve got him,” Emma intervened, at his side in an instant. She too was enraptured by the infant as she sat down on the edge of the bed next to Killian. 

Belle beamed at them. “I won’t be long.” She placed a gentle kiss on her boy’s head, and then dashed off; they could only assume to yell at her husband. 

For a long, quiet moment, it was just he, Emma, and the baby. Without thinking about it, he found himself leaning against her as the fatigue from birth washed over him. “You alright?” she murmured.

“As good as I can be, I suppose.”

“Here; let me help.” She lightly placed her hand low on his abdomen, where most of the ache seemed to linger, until the warmth of her powers washed over him.

“Ahhh,” he sighed, as her healing magic worked wonders on him. There was a bit of lingering soreness, but he felt much better. “Thank you, love.”

“What I wouldn’t have given for that after Henry was born,” she quipped, but it was devoid of any humor.

Not for the first time, he wondered what it would be like to be in this position with Emma, but for real—for him to be the one supporting her as she brought their child into the world. And gods, he hoped they’d have the chance. The wistful look on Emma’s face as she studied the lad told him her thoughts were wandering in the same direction. “Don’t give up hope, Swan,” he said quietly. 

“Never,” she answered, with more determination now.

* * *

 

Belle returned shortly, and Killian found he was recovered enough to move about, albeit still rather tender, and it would probably be some time before his stomach lost this new softness. Regardless, they still had business to attend to, so he dressed and had Emma poof them down to the docks.

When her magic dissipated, two men stood before them in front of their golden vessel.

“Belle, this is Liam, my half brother, and Captain Nemo of the Nautilus,” he introduced, then swallowed before continuing. “If you wish, I’ve arranged passage for both of you on his vessel out of this realm.”

Belle’s mouth fell open. “Seriously?” Killian nodded. “Where would we go?”

“Wherever you wish, milady,” Nemo answered. 

She seemed to muse for a moment, but then nodded. “I know just the place. When can we leave?”

“At your orders, ma’am,” Liam replied.

Belle nodded, and turned to Killian. Despite having her bundled-up son in her arms, and the large back on her back, she still managed to pull him into a tight hug. “I truly can’t thank you enough, Killian,” she whispered into his ear. 

“It’s been my honor, Belle,” he answered truthfully, voice full of emotion. “Just do me one favor: stay in touch, aye?”

“I will, I promise.”

She moved on to say her goodbyes to Emma, and Killian turned his attention to the Nautilus crew. “Thank you again for doing this, mates. We appreciate the assistance more than you’ll ever know.”

Nemo just have a knowing smile back. “Gladly, my friend. You’ve come a long way since we first met; how does it feel to have a family again?”

“Incredible,” Killian admitted, smiling over at Emma. He hated to think of how hate-filled he was in his first encounter with Nemo and Liam, but it was a reminder of just how much he had been blessed with now.

Liam stepped towards him, albeit hesitantly. Uncertainty was written in the hunch of his shoulders, but he cast an almost apologetic look up at Killian, and extended his hand. They might not know each other well, but they still shared blood, and Killian recognized the gesture for what it was: a way to bury the hatchet.

He took Liam’s hand, smiled, and then pulled his brother in for a hug. He knew he’d never be able to make up for what he’d done to him, but at least they could work together to make sure Belle and her boy weren’t separated.

“Alright, I’m ready.” Belle’s voice led the brothers to break apart, and Nemo nodded, gesturing the way into the submarine. “Take care, Killian,” she said as a goodbye.

“You, too, love.” She started to climb into the ship, but there was one more thing he needed to know. “What’s his name?”

She smiled down at her son, then back up. “His name is Gideon. Gideon Killian.”

He felt tears come to his eyes as he watched her descend into the vessel, and suddenly, Emma’s arms were around him. They stayed there at the docks until the ship was out of sight and, based on the portal that popped up, out of the realm. 

Gently, Emma grabbed his hand and tugged, leading the way back into town. As they headed back, he could only hope that the future was bright for Belle and Gideon, and it furthered his resolve to ensure the same for he and Emma.

And honestly? He’d carry their child, too, if it meant he got a future with her.


End file.
